Convertible gas and hot flue water heater



' April 7, 1936. J. ORBAN 2,036,602

CONVERTIBLE GAS AND HOT FLUE WATER HEATER Filed Sept. 12, 1954 lNVENTOR,

1 AT ORNEY.

- JUHJV URBAN O neo'bject ofthe invention is to provide an ex-.

Patented Apr. 7, 1936 PATENT OFFICE CONVERTIBLE GAS AND HGT FLUE WATER HEATER John Orban, East Orange, N. J.

Application SeptemberlZ, 1934, Serial No. 743,695

2 Claims.

This invention relates to coal-saving and heatcontrolling devices, and especially to a convertible gas and hot flue water heater.

tremely efficient water heater, and to provide the same with practical and efiicient means to control the heat applied thereto, to compensate for surrounding variations of temperature.

Another object is to provide, in combination with a helical pipe-coil through which flows a current of water, an efiective and thoroughly practical arrangement and distribution of gas.- jets which when lighted will distribute the heat evenly around the coil from end to end, so as to 'heat the water in the coil most thoroughly and quickly without unduly heating or overheating anyfpart of the ,coil, and without causing uneven expansion of the coil or its connections.

Another object is to provide, in combination Withthe helical coil, and a heat-insulating flue therearound. and. an arrangement of gas-jets extending through the heat-insulating means in such fixed and cooperative relation that the whole 7, constitutes a unit that canbe disposed vertically, horizontally or obliquely and will operate effitosubstitutethe exhaust furnace heat for the "heat ofthe. gas heater or burner.

Another object is to provide the above-mentioned, coil and gas-heater and furnace-heating arrangement in combination with a coal-burn- ,ing or oil-burning water-heater, so that the water in the samecoil can be heated by all three heat-sources either simultaneously, or selectively by means of an effective arrangement of valves andfdampers.

Another object is to provide an apparatus or device of this kind in easily separable parts which are also easily attachable so as to provide for efiicient assembling and installing and for cleaning out any accumulation of ash or carbon deposits when occasion requires, or when cleaning is desirable.

Other objects or important features are pointed out orimplied in the following details of description, in connection with the accompanyingdrawing in'which: r

Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly in vertical section, showing my improved gas-burning water heater by the side of an emergency flue, and the very simple and eifective sliding valve or gate that controls the emergency flue and water-heating flue alternately.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a very simple and practical form of gas-jet such as may be used to advantage as an element of the gasburner or heater.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view along the line 3-3 of Fi 1.

i Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the general combination of parts including or comprising my invention.

Referring to the drawing in detail, in which, similar letters and numerals refer .to similar parts in the several views: The inventionis described in detail as follows:

' In Fig. 4, a part of a coal-burning furnace is shown at F, while at H is indicateda coal-burning water heater of a typical and well-known kind, and at S is shown part of the storage tank for hot water. A section of the chimney is shown at C, and a smoke-pipe P connects the coal-burning water heater H to the chimney C. Water-pipes w! and 102 connect to the storage tank S, and the first of these pipes extends through the concrete floor to a point under the gas-heater (which is generally indicated at G), thence upward to a point above the lower end of thegas-heater, and thence horizontally through the water-heater-flue fl, or through the wall thereof to the interior where it connects with the heatingcoil he in open communication (Figs. 1 and 3) while the pipe 112? similarly connects to the upper end of the heating coil, this water-pipe extending through the upper part of the wall of the water-heating fine as seen in Fig. l. A valved water-pipe w3 connects the heater 1-! to the water-pipe 202 and thereby connects it to the storage tank S. A second valved pipe w l that connects with the heater H also connects to the water-pipe wl and thereby connects the heater H to the storage tank. It should be understood that the storage tank has a water-supply pipe (not shown) for supplying the water to be heat ed, and also has an outlet or service pipe indicated at sp to supply hot water for a bath-tub, kitchen or general purposes.

The water-pipes are provided with valves cl,

v2, v3, v4 and 215, the latter shown only in Fig. 3. The purpose or" the respective valves will be explained hereinafter.

The gas-heater will now be explained in detail as follows:

At go is shown a gas-conduit which is substantially circular or annular, and may be considered as a single length of pipe, though here shown as made up from a series of short bent pipe sections connected by reducing T-couplings, the ends of the conduit being plugged at on; or in lieu of one oi these plugs, a gas-inlet pipe gi may communicate with the interior of the con-duit, instead of communicating therewith through the dual T- coupling tt (Fig. 3). A series of gas-distributing and aerating tubes yd are secured to the respective reducing branches of the couplings t and it and ext-end therefrom in parallel relation to one another and to the wall of the heating flue fl, hence, parallel to the axis of the helical heating coil he. The hollow-filled heat-insulated wall of the flue fl is radially bored or apertured at numerous points, as at b, and through these bores extend (respectively) gas-jets g7 which protrude from the gas-distributing tubes gd and communicate with the interior of the latter; so'

gas from the gas-inlet gi passes around the con duit go and thence into the distributing pipes yd, and finally through the numerous gas jets g7 where the gas may be ignited by any appropriate means, and so the flames are distributed all around the heating coil he, from end to end thereof, and heats it uniformly. By employing all the gas-jets here shown, the water can be heated very quickly, and in case it is desired to heat it less quickly or to a less degree, one or more of the distributing tubes may be cut out of service by means of their respective cut-out valves Moreover, for a less expensive gasheater, the number of distributing pipes gal and their adjuncts may be less than here shown.

For comparative ease in assembling the gas heater, and for other reasons, it is desirable to form the furnace-flue (generally indicated at FF) with a removable section rs of the upper flue section us, and a clamp-band cb may be employed for normally holding the removable section in place; but when the clamp-band is removed or sufiiciently loosened, the part rs can be separated, at the joints y and 7'7 from the parts us and f I, thus freeing the upper end of the heating coil, so the latter can be disconnected at ml and taken out of the line fl, and so access can be gained to any gas-jet n7 for cleaning or for any other purpose; or, from a standpoint of the manufacturer,-the flue fl being primarily empty, access can be gained to itsinterior for inserting and screwing-in the gas-jets 09', and thereafter, the heating coil can be connected at wl either by screwing it inthe L-coupling, or by a smoothtaper joint instead of screw-threads.

The lower end of the heater-flue fl is united with and supported by the horizontal lower fluesection ls which is in open communication therewith when not closed by a sliding gate or valveplate up which is supported on tracks wt of which there is one shown and one removed from Fig. 1. In the present showing, the valve-plate 'up is in the position to close the opening between the lower section ls and the vertical section 12s of the furnace flue, while the latter is in open communication with the heater-flue ,fl, and the hot products of combustion of the furnace F may either, supplement the gas-heater, or may constitute the entire source of heat if the gas is cut off at on or at some point in the gas-inlet pipe g1; but, on the other hand, when the furnace-fire is out, low or banked, the gas-heater may be the entire and exclusive source or" heat for the coil he.

When it is desired to utilize both the coalburning water-heater H and the gas-burning heater G for heating the water, the valves vl, v2, v3, v4 and are open; but when the gas-heater is used alone, valves 03 and 114 are closed. The valve 115 is an emergency cut-off to prevent the heating coil from running dry while subjected to heat in the event of a leak at a lower level in the water-pipe wl The damper d and its operating device 0d are of such simple construction as to need no explanation, v

The valve-plate up is provided with a handlerod hr that can be slid inward and outward through a hole in'the removable flue-stopper fs so as to alternately push and pull the valve-plate and thereby alternately close the flue fl and the vertical emergency flue vs. It should be understood that the term vertical as applied to the flue vs is used only to distinguish it from the upper and lower flue sections, for as previously mentioned, it may be disposed at any angle to the vertical. In broader terms, the two flue sections fl and vs may be termed alternate flue passages, since they are never used simultaneously, but always used alternately, in view of the valve-plate on.

The clean-out stoppers cs are provided with handles to remove them, and may be so snugly fitted that they will stay in place, or may be provided with any appropriate means to fasten them in place.

In the upper smoke-flue, a damper or slideplate similar to the plate 12p may be inverted and provided with a handle similar to handle hr, so this plate can be caused to provide a greater or less opening for air and products of combustion, whereby the draft may be perfectly controlled. Moreover, the inside or outside cylinder, on which the outer damper d is hinged, may be rotatable with respect to the part rs, so these parts may be caused to stay in the position shown, even when the flue-sections us and fl are not vertical.

Though I have described this embodiment of my invention quite specifically, I do not intend to limit my patent protection to these exact and precise details, for the invention is susceptible of numerous changes which are within the scope of the inventive ideas as herein implied and claimed.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A gas-burning .water-heater comprising a flue-section having rows of radially disposed openings through its wall, a water-conducting pipe including a part extending iengitudinally through said flue-section, a gas-conduit substantially curved around said flue-section and having an inlet for combustible gas, a set of gas-distributing pipes distributed around and secured to said gasccnduit and in open communication with the latter, and a plurality of sets of tubular gas-jets, each set of gas-jets being distrihutedalong a respectivegas-distributing pipe and in open communication with the latter and extending through a respective row of said radially disposed openings of the flue-section to points near said waterconducting pipe. V

2. In a convertible gas and furnace-flue water heater, the combination of; a furnace flue; a water-conducting pipe; a gas-burning heater; and a valve-plate slidably mounted in said furnace-flue; said furnace-flue comprising a lower section for connection to a furnace, an upper section for connection to a chimney, .a waterheating section having its ends connected to and intercommunicating with the lower and upper sections and having rows of radially disposed openings through its wall, and an emergency section having its ends connected to and intercommunicating with the upper and lower sections and being adjacent to the water-heating section; said water-conducting pipe having a part within said water-heating section and extending therealong; said valve-plate being provided with supporting and guiding means to normally hold it in a. posi tion for closing an end of the emergency fluesection and to guide the valve-plate into a position for closing the corresponding end of the water-heating section; said gas-burning heater comprising a gas-conduit substantially curved around said water-heating section and having an inlet for combustible gas, a plurality of gas distributing pipes distributed around said gasconduit and secured thereto and in open communication therewith, and a plurality of sets of tubular gas-jets, each set of gas-jets being distributed along a respective gas-distributing pipe and in open communication with the latter and extending through a respective row of said radial- 1y disposed openings of the water-heating section of the furnace flue.

JOHN ORBAN. 

